Dash of Courage: Eat Pray Love

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." - George Eliot

This week I had lunch with the wisest man I’ve ever met.
He is a Pastor from Bali. We met at a Red Lobster in Georgia.

Pastor Paulus is his name. He runs a ministry, builds orphanages, laughs constantly, and cares deeply. He’s basically the wise man from Eat Pray Love.

I first met him 12 years ago in Bali with my best friend and business partner, Kevin Scott. That day Kevin preached a full sermon. Pastor Paulus turned to me next. The best I could muster was a story about David and Goliath. Courage.

Pastor Paulus preaches on Compassion.
I speak about Courage.
Different lanes, but down the same road.
When we meet, I shut up and listen.

This year he turned 60.
Most people would say it’s time to slow down. Not him.

He and his wife just adopted a 7-month-old boy.
At 60.
He already raised three kids. His youngest is finishing university. 
And still, he chose to start again.

He’s also building homes for the elderly in Bali.
Orphans and the elderly.
When the world says “rest,” he says, “there’s still work to do.”

And then he said something I’ll never forget:
“There’s always time to serve, because there are always people in need.”

Q4 just began. Most people will ease off the gas. 
Wait for January. Coast into the new year.
But a pastor from Bali, eating cheddar biscuits in Atlanta, reminded me: 
Maybe the goal isn’t slowing down.
Maybe it’s speeding up - in the direction that makes you come alive.

Dash of Courage
This week, don’t wait for January. Don’t coast into the new year.
Pastor Paulus isn’t slowing down at 60. He’s adopting, building, serving.
If he can begin again at 60, what excuse do we have at 30, 40, or 50.

The calendar says there are 90 days left.
But what if the next 90 became your most important?

The 90 where you started again.
The 90 where you served deeper.
The 90 where you stopped waiting for January.

The year isn’t over.
And neither are you.

Courage over Comfort,
Garrett